Make Hair Transplants Safe Again

Dear Reader,

Nikhil, who’s 31, told me that he started losing his hair when he was just 24. He tried everything to get it back: castor oil, coconut oil, and even medication like Minoxidil. But, nothing stuck.

“It was like trying to revive a barren wasteland,” he said. 

He dreamed of becoming a fitness influencer. But, as his hair thinned, he began avoiding the camera and staying home more. 

After months of deliberation with his fiancée and father-in-law, Nikhil chose to get a hair transplant. He researched the risks, read articles and watched videos. One clinic said they’d charge him Rs 3 lakh in total. He decided to go ahead.

Today, Nikhil says, he couldn’t have made a better decision. 

“It feels like I reclaimed a part of myself that I had lost,” he said. 

But hair transplants carry real risks.

Since the 90s and early 2000s, hair transplants have gone through a shift. Modern techniques like follicular unit extraction and direct hair implantation have made the procedure faster and less invasive. As demand grew, more clinics entered the market. In 2024, this industry was worth over $250 million. But, in some cases, these clinics operated without adequate infrastructure or specialist supervision.

The consequences can be serious. A transplant may fail. In more severe cases, patients can develop infections, adverse reactions to anaesthesia or even septic shock.

“Most people think it's because of the skill of the surgeon. That is actually not the problem,” said Dr Aparna Santhanam, dermatologist and medical head of Kaya Skin Clinic. “The problem is patient selection, pre and post care, the OT setup, and what happens if there is a reaction to anaesthesia or excessive bleeding.”

The government has acted on this problem. Last month, the Centre proposed strict safety standards that reclassify hair transplants as a surgical procedure requiring proper medical supervision, meaning only qualified dermatologists and plastic surgeons can perform them. As well, clinics need to meet infrastructure requirements: they must have a fully equipped operating theatre, emergency resuscitation equipment, sterilisation protocols, trained nursing staff and systems to manage complications related to anaesthesia or bleeding.

Of course, implementation will take time.

Until then, Dr Aparna urges consumers to ask questions.

“ Do your research properly. Ask the right questions about who’s gonna do the transplant.  What are their credentials? You know, why are you a suitable candidate for it? What is the kind of result that you can expect? What is the preparation that you need to do beforehand?” she said. 

To hear more from her and Nikhil, listen to the latest episode of The Signal Brief. 

You can find The Signal Brief on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.

Thank you once again for listening and supporting us. We’d love to hear from you; write to us at [email protected] or find us on Instagram or X at @thesignaldotco.

Best,
Kudrat
on behalf of The Core

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